Hello everyone!
It's me Kolsake with my first fic of the year! Three's a Crowd But Five is Just Pushing it!
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Constructive criticism is always accepted.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Fuinjutsu.
Commonly known as the 'art of sealing'.
It is without a doubt the most dangerous branch of knowledge that shinobi had dared to ever study and practice.
Decent Taijutsu skills could give you the ability to break bones and rupture organs.
Masters of Ninjutsu could create tidal waves, earthquakes, tornadoes, lightning storms, volcanic eruptions and even create new planets if they were powerful enough.
Genjutsu experts could fool the senses, bend the will and break the mind with horrific illusions or visions of pleasure and contentment.
But none of these techniques could trump the terrible power, purpose or potential of Fuinjutsu.
She knew this to be true because she lived to master the sacred art. Before she could have even walked or formed words her family had her fiddling with brushes and ink. She didn't need toys; learning alongside her siblings and cousins was already fun enough. And even though that would seem illogical or unethical it was the way of their clan, the clan that they had all grown to love.
Kami Himself had bestowed upon them the great honor of becoming the universe's foremost experts in the art of sealing, and in return for eternal service to the Divine Creator's mandate, they were granted immortality among so many other heavenly benefits.
We are strong.
We are faithful.
We are intelligent.
We are feared.
We are talented.
We are respected.
We are a family.
We are…
The Shinigami clan…the angels of death.
And sometimes on very rare occasions…
We manage to screw everything up...
Kami help us.
Hinoko Shinigami rubbed her temples in frustration as she recalled the events of night past.
Her grandfather, the legendary Kaiyo Shinigami the current 'God of Death' for this universe had announced his impending retirement after 4600 years of diligent service.
His intention was to hand over the mantle to his successor in the next 2000 years; that time would of course be used to train his replacement in the most powerful techniques of the Shinigami clan and to re-educate them in the great burden they would bear as the 'God of Death'.
Each universe had selected members of the Shinigami clan that served as 'angels of death' that assisted in the safe transport of souls, removal of illegal spirits, contract seals etc. But the head coordinator of the universe or sector, the one who all others answered to was known as the 'God of Death'.
Her grandfather had chosen her.
It wasn't exactly a surprise; she was a prodigy after all. Not something especially easy to accomplish in a clan where everyone was immortal and had a natural knack for sealing.
But she was indeed centuries ahead of her age group and much better than many of the senior members that were assigned to this sector including her very own mother. She didn't boast about it though, they were all one big family; there was no need for that. Prodigies came around all the time.
The entire clan had supported Kaiyo's decision and the announcement was met with excitement and expectation, those clan members that were present along with other well-wishers celebrated the best way they knew how.
Three words.
Two items.
One great party.
Pizza and Booze.
What?
Being servants of Kami didn't mean they were perfect or anything. It just meant they would do their best to serve Him and keep the law and order when it concerned the matters of life, death and sealing. They needed divine guidance just like everyone else.
It just so happened that the party had gotten a bit out of hand…and by out of hand most of them had gotten super drunk especially her grandfather, but it was a slow night and there was no chance that something could come up that the guys on duty wouldn't be able to handle on their own…
And then her grandfather's katana, which had somehow ended up on the ceiling fan began to glow.
That was not good.
When the katana of a registered Shinigami began to glow it meant that they were being specially summoned for a situation that only someone of their level could handle. When the katana of the God of death started to glow…it was some serious shit.
She scanned the room for anyone who could help…her grandfather and the other senior members were completely out of it. It would take at least an hour or two for someone on their level to make the journey between their sector and this one…
And by then it would probably be too late…
Whoever was summoning them, needed help and they needed it now.
She watched the katana glow and pulse for 15 seconds before making a decision and floating upwards to grab the handle. According to the Clan Records there were 80 levels to the art of sealing and she was at level 58…
What were the chances that this was really out of her league?
She had seen her grandfather at work plenty of times…and she wasn't even drunk...just a little tipsy ….she was the granddaughter of the great Kaiyo Shinigami and a prodigy among her peers…she could so handle it.
What could possibly go wrong?
.
..
…
She would never ask that question again.
Hinoko sighed as she looked around the sewer-like room, taking in the appearance of her fellow…jail mates.
The Kyuubi no Yoko literally bowed his head in respect as her eyes met his; every creature of supernatural origin recognized the distinct aura of a Shinigami clan member and knew their place.
More than likely he was the reason that her grandfather had been summoned, if memory served correct he was a class ten Chakra Beast, probably the strongest one in the sector, most shinobi wouldn't last ten seconds against him, much less muster up the power and courage to try to seal him and they would need the help of the Shinigami clan to pull that off.
She turned her attention to the other cell.
The gigantic toad creature also bowed his head in respect as she regarded his presence, she had seen his name and picture somewhere before…Gama….Gamabunta! But wasn't he the head of the legendary toad summoning contract? What was he doing here? Was he fighting the Kyuubi?
None of this made much sense, with no memories of the sealing itself she would have to get information from the other two when she this headache was gone.
She then directed her gaze at the other person in the room, the one who wasn't in a jail cell.
In the middle of the circular room on a small pedestal was a blonde baby, happily snoozing away without a care in the world. The image itself brought a smile to her face.
Which person in their right mind didn't find babies cute?
The nice baby-appreciating peace lasted all of 8 seconds.
Another terribly powerful presence entered the room. Both the Kyuubi and Gamabunta backed away in their cells, the power emanating from this being meant he was not to be trifled with.
Hinoko bit her lip as the presence took the form of a tall purple haired man who now had the blonde baby nestled safely in his arms. He suppressed his power enough to keep the baby safe and asleep as he glided over to her prison cell.
Humans would judge by appearance this man was no older than 30, but she knew better, he would be celebrating 7183rd birthday next year.
His red eyes met hers and she could tell that he was upset, disappointed but still cared for her deeply.
"You really fucked things up Hino…and on your first night as future 'God of Death' too. Your siblings and cousins are going to never let you live this down."
Hinoko nodded scratching the back of her head as she leaned against the bars of the cell, the Kyuubi and Gamabunta exchanged looks as they continued to eavesdrop.
"Did I really do that bad, Gramps?"
Kaiyo smirked.
"Well you did manage to seal a class ten Chakra Beast, a Toad Lord, two shinobi and yourself in the stomach of an infant."
Hinoko bit her lip again.
"Wait…two shinobi?"
"Above you."
Hinoko eyes narrowed as she looked up, on the ceiling of her cell there was a blonde man and a red haired woman wrapped in chakra chains. They seemed to be unconscious.
"Strange…I didn't sense them."
"They are somehow connected to your own power stream; you wouldn't have noticed if you didn't know what to look for."
"Wow…I really did screw this up."
"Well that's what happens when you attempt a level 80 seal with only 58 levels worth of training while being intoxicated."
Hinoko shrugged.
"I was only a little tipsy…"
Her grandfather's gaze hardened causing Hinoko to offer a weak smile.
"And I thought I could handle it?"
"Well you didn't handle it and now we have a problem. I'm sure you at least understand in theory the purpose of the Shiki Fujin."
Hinoko nodded, the Shiki Fujin was one of the few techniques that she was not allowed to practice by herself, and in actuality only those who were level 78 and over were ever supposed to perform it.
"Well… it's even siphoning some of your own power into this child's chakra network."
Hinoko's eyes widened.
"Shit. I have to get out, my power will kill him. Human bodies weren't made to deal with this kind of stuff without a medium."
Kaiyo nodded.
"I've already reduced the amount of power being transferred into his chakra network to 0.00023% every month; that will prevent your power from harming him for now."
Hinoko brightened, her grandfather was so awesome.
"Great! So all we have to do is unlock my cell with the master key and…"
"Unfortunately that can't be done either."
Hinoko's face reflected her confusion.
"Huh? Why?"
"You combined all 3 of the sealing matrixes when you activated the seal, releasing you and Gamabunta with the master key would only set free the Kyuubi as well, and that would break the contractual agreement you made with the Yondaime Hokage and his wife."
Hinoko nodded in understanding again, Shinigami were never allowed to break the contractual agreements that they made drunk or not, it was binding between them and their human counterparts as long as the humans stayed true to their side of the deal.
"So we have to find another way? Well we are the sealing clan of the universe and you are a level 80 master it shouldn't take us too long to sort my mess out."
Kaiyo nodded as he re-adjusted the still sleeping blond child in his arms.
"Indeed but all of that would have to wait for a little bit…we have a more pressing matter."
"Really?"
"Yes, on my way here I received a message from Kami-sama…"
Hinoko gulped, the Kyuubi's tails curled behind him and Gamabunta began to sweat.
"And what did Kami-sama have to say?"
"His Majesty...is on His way."
Hinoko's eyes widened…only a select few have ever been blessed to even enter the heavenly courts much less be in the presence of Kami Himself and now for her to meet Him despite the circumstances would be a great honor. There were so many things she wanted to say and ask and learn and…what if He was coming to condemn her for screwing up?
Hinoko gracefully fainted.
Kaiyo smirked at the unconscious body of his granddaughter as he placed the baby back in his crib.
"You're not even a week old yet you have endured so much Uzumaki-san. I suppose that more trials await you, rest well. Kami-sama will certainly guide us all."
There you go. The first chapter of 'Three's a crowd but five is just pushing it. Tell me what you think. Hits, Misses, Questions (Those that I can answer without spoiling the plot). PLEASE REVIEW! The more reviews the more I want to update quicker. Well at least I should think so.
Later.
Kolsake.